Montenegro
Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor)
Porto Montenegro 31NM, 5hrs 30min
Thursday July 26 - Friday 27
Thursday July 26 - Friday 27
Another day, another country. It reminds me of what they used to say about Contiki Tours - It's Tuesday, it must be Germany! Today we entered Montenegro, or Crna Gora, literally meaning Black Mountain. It took us about four hours to motor from Cavtat to Zelenika where we cleared customs, that wind that was so bothersome last night (but would have been so useful today) having died right about when we left Cavtat harbour. Clearing customs was again a pretty easy process of Harbour Master then Police with a few fees here and a stamp there. We got chatting with a skipper off an American vessel who had also just cleared customs in Cavtat that morning. I said "We were probably beside you on the Customs Jetty" and he said they were there only 25 minutes ago. Of course, 60ft motor boat going 50kns vs 43ft sailing vessel going 6kns. Duh! He had brought the vessel from Croatia to Montenegro for one night purely to refuel with tax-free diesel. I guess when your boat takes €7000 worth of fuel it's worth it. Apparently the boat owners quibble over buying new tea towels for €5 but they flew in on private jets. Whatever!
Bay of Kotor
Click images to enlarge
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Onwards to the Bay of Kotor, also known simply as Boka ("The Bay"), which is one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some call it the southern-most fjord in Europe, but it's actually a ria (submerged river canyon) of the vanished Bokelj River that used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen.
Porto Montenegro is a relatively new marina catering for super yachts and the occasional tiddler like us. We were dwarfed by the big motor boats around us on the finger jetty, but they were dwarfed by the enormous vessels on the main jetty, all with their own crew and some even with outdoor plants! I wonder if they even know they're on the water in those gargantuan floating mansions. The wealth was really quite obscene and the display of it off-puttingly ostentatious (unless you like that kind of thing). Some of the women had on enough make up to sink a ship (excuse the pun) and stilettos that could aerate a football field! And Porto Montenegro is set up to exploit it, the marina built like a small town with streets, hotels, restaurants, pools, gyms, designer shops...all your needs catered for (except a decent beach within walking distance but I suppose you don't need that if you can afford the pool). We wandered the waterfront in the evening and had a fancy but inexpensive meal at one of the restaurants. Seems that duck salad with pear, candied walnuts and blue cheese is a universal dish! There was lots of entertainment along the strip - acrobats, fire-eaters, musicians, magicians - a bit like the Fremantle Arts Festival. |
Uvala Naluka 5.6NM, 1hr 30min
Friday July 27 - Saturday 28
Friday July 27 - Saturday 28
From Porto Montenegro we sailed through the narrowest section of the bay, the 2300m long Verige Strait (only 340m wide at its narrowest point) to the inner bay east. The imposing mountain ranges were certainly impressive! We had been told by a fellow yachtie that Perast was well worth a visit, but the town did not allow anchoring or mooring during the day (when the ferries run) so it was difficult to stop.
We sailed past the Risan islands off Perast. Sveti Đorđe (Saint George Island) has a 16th century Benedictine Abbey and a cemetery, and is also called 'The island of the Dead' as the people from Perast were buried there. The other island, Gospa od Škrpjela (Madonna of the Reef), is artificial, built by the Perast inhabitants in 1630. From there we checked out Risan but again it was not friendly for stopping, so we anchored for the night in Uvala Naluka. Surrounded by mountains it felt like it should be an isolated haven, but the whipper snipper crew on a nearby road quickly corrected that image. Ah well. It was lovely to be able to cool off in the water again, we miss it when we can't do it. Strangely the water temperatures were in the reverse of the usual, with an ice cold layer on top and warmer water underneath. Bracing indeed!
Saturday we again looked at stopping in Perast with no luck. We continued on slowly via the coast to Kotor, watching ominous black clouds roll in from all sides. There is a narrow road hugging the coast and a lot of car horns told us there was a traffic jam, a standoff between a bus and six or more cars. The cars had to reverse and get out of the way, backing up driveways where they could. We witnessed the same thing later with a camper van and a tremendous amount of beeping. It seemed the driver wasn't getting the hint, whatever the hint was.
Click images to enlarge
We sailed past the Risan islands off Perast. Sveti Đorđe (Saint George Island) has a 16th century Benedictine Abbey and a cemetery, and is also called 'The island of the Dead' as the people from Perast were buried there. The other island, Gospa od Škrpjela (Madonna of the Reef), is artificial, built by the Perast inhabitants in 1630. From there we checked out Risan but again it was not friendly for stopping, so we anchored for the night in Uvala Naluka. Surrounded by mountains it felt like it should be an isolated haven, but the whipper snipper crew on a nearby road quickly corrected that image. Ah well. It was lovely to be able to cool off in the water again, we miss it when we can't do it. Strangely the water temperatures were in the reverse of the usual, with an ice cold layer on top and warmer water underneath. Bracing indeed!
Saturday we again looked at stopping in Perast with no luck. We continued on slowly via the coast to Kotor, watching ominous black clouds roll in from all sides. There is a narrow road hugging the coast and a lot of car horns told us there was a traffic jam, a standoff between a bus and six or more cars. The cars had to reverse and get out of the way, backing up driveways where they could. We witnessed the same thing later with a camper van and a tremendous amount of beeping. It seemed the driver wasn't getting the hint, whatever the hint was.
Click images to enlarge
Kotor 21.1NM, 3hrs 10min
Saturday July 28 - Sunday 29
Saturday July 28 - Sunday 29
Kotor was obscured by a cruise liner the size of a small moon. I was thinking how it eclipsed the town, then remembered there was a lunar eclipse last night. Funny. We stood off while it left the port, thinking we could easily get churned through the props without them even feeling a bump. We then tried anchoring but couldn't get a good hold in the muddy bottom and kept dragging, so we tried the marina (really just a jetty with power and water). Alas it was full so we tried anchoring again. Third time lucky we held, and then the rain came. Between showers we chanced a quick trip into the well-preserved medieval town.
During this morning's activities I kicked the salt water tap foot pedal and broke my toe. My word it hurt! If it's not broken it might as well be for the amount of pain I was in. I had to limp around the old city and on return to the boat had to put my foot up and have Colin bring me drinks and cook dinner, and because he is THE BEST he did the dishes too!! Hvala vam puno moja ljubav ❤️
The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. A wall and other fortifications rise in switchbacks up the limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen that almost overhang the town, and certainly make for an impressive landscape. We thought about doing the climb, as many were, but unfortunately my foot was still too sore. Instead we walked around within the city walls and bought souvenirs and coffee. We also picked up a few provisions at the apparently famous fresh markets. Perhaps it wasn't the right day for them as they weren't a patch on the other fresh markets we've been to.
Photos by Colin and Nic. Click images to enlarge
During this morning's activities I kicked the salt water tap foot pedal and broke my toe. My word it hurt! If it's not broken it might as well be for the amount of pain I was in. I had to limp around the old city and on return to the boat had to put my foot up and have Colin bring me drinks and cook dinner, and because he is THE BEST he did the dishes too!! Hvala vam puno moja ljubav ❤️
The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. A wall and other fortifications rise in switchbacks up the limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen that almost overhang the town, and certainly make for an impressive landscape. We thought about doing the climb, as many were, but unfortunately my foot was still too sore. Instead we walked around within the city walls and bought souvenirs and coffee. We also picked up a few provisions at the apparently famous fresh markets. Perhaps it wasn't the right day for them as they weren't a patch on the other fresh markets we've been to.
Photos by Colin and Nic. Click images to enlarge
Windows and Doors from Kotor
Otok Sveti Marko, the bay east of Uvala Velika 11NM, 2hrs 15min
Sunday July 29 - Monday 30
Sunday July 29 - Monday 30
Out of "fjordland" to Sveti Marko, still in the Bay of Kotor but not surrounded by mountains. Again it took three attempts anchoring before we held, and we had out 45m of chain just to be sure we stayed put. It worked and we had a peaceful night.
One thing we've noticed in Montenegro is the plethora of US registered boats. I don't think we saw a single one the whole time in Croatia, both last and this year, yet here it seems every second boat waves the US flag. Colin was commenting what a shame it was Trump called them an aggressive country likely to start World War III. We wonder what THAT'S gonna do for international relations.
Photos by Colin and Nic. Click images to enlarge
One thing we've noticed in Montenegro is the plethora of US registered boats. I don't think we saw a single one the whole time in Croatia, both last and this year, yet here it seems every second boat waves the US flag. Colin was commenting what a shame it was Trump called them an aggressive country likely to start World War III. We wonder what THAT'S gonna do for international relations.
Photos by Colin and Nic. Click images to enlarge
Coastal Montenegro
Uvala Kamenovo 28.3NM, 5hrs 20min
Monday July 30 - Tuesday 31
Monday July 30 - Tuesday 31
Continuing our way south towards Greece we left the Bay of Kotor and headed down the coast. Exposed to the open ocean it was somewhat lumpy, and the breeze was barely enough to keep wind in the sails so we motored most of the way. Just after we left (around 1100hrs) I heard a Mayday call on the radio, then Dubrovnik radio repeatedly asking who had placed the call. Soon I heard frenzied foreign talk and a Policija boat sped by us heading south. Not long after he passed us heading north towing a yacht with the back end smashed. Next day we found out a motor yacht had slammed into the sailing boat on the Luštica Peninsula and the sail boat's skipper and a woman next to him, Polish tourists, died instantly. The report said 11 other people were on the two boats, including children, and that no one else was injured. We were deeply saddened by this and all day kept returning to it and wondering how it happened. The motor yacht skipper was being detained.
Though Budva had a lovely old town it looked unfriendly for anchoring. We tried to sneak across to the next bay through shallow water that read 3.3m on the navigation chart, but as the depth gauge started to read 2.0m, 1.9m, 1.8m I asked Colin whether it was reading from under the hull or under the keel (which draws 1.65m by the way). He said we'd soon find out, and we did, at exactly 1.65m when we touched bottom. Rapid reverse and we took the long way to the next bay around the island of Sveti Nikola. The clouds were turning that rather familiar deep shade of grey as we left so we shut the hatches and soon enough the rain came, accompanied by the most solid bolts of lightening I think I've ever seen! There she goes showing off again, the Adriatic stormy weather with her deafening claps of thunder and spectacular light show. It did nothing to dampen (apart from literally) the activity on the beach though, with multitudes of holiday makers on jet skis, jet boats, parasails, inflatable tubes, adrenalin rib boats, all buzzing around making waves and having a wild old time. Meanwhile we can only wonder how loud the music must have been on shore since we could well and truly hear it from where we were.
We settled in Uvala Kamenovo, next bay to Budva, and again let out 45m of chain in 7.5m depth, just to be sure. It paid off since the 12kn winds whipped up to around 25kns at 0200hrs. Again the captain kept watch upstairs for a while but we were solid on the anchor so he eventually went back to sleep.
Water temperatures back where they should be. I love diving in and feeling the icy water a few feet down, and you can actually see the hazy thermocline layer where the temperature changes.
In the morning I kept a little bit of black clay from the anchor to do a mud mask. Colin asked me what the advantageous qualities of mud were and I said it removes impurities. He seemed to think I would need a lot more of it.
Click images to enlarge
Though Budva had a lovely old town it looked unfriendly for anchoring. We tried to sneak across to the next bay through shallow water that read 3.3m on the navigation chart, but as the depth gauge started to read 2.0m, 1.9m, 1.8m I asked Colin whether it was reading from under the hull or under the keel (which draws 1.65m by the way). He said we'd soon find out, and we did, at exactly 1.65m when we touched bottom. Rapid reverse and we took the long way to the next bay around the island of Sveti Nikola. The clouds were turning that rather familiar deep shade of grey as we left so we shut the hatches and soon enough the rain came, accompanied by the most solid bolts of lightening I think I've ever seen! There she goes showing off again, the Adriatic stormy weather with her deafening claps of thunder and spectacular light show. It did nothing to dampen (apart from literally) the activity on the beach though, with multitudes of holiday makers on jet skis, jet boats, parasails, inflatable tubes, adrenalin rib boats, all buzzing around making waves and having a wild old time. Meanwhile we can only wonder how loud the music must have been on shore since we could well and truly hear it from where we were.
We settled in Uvala Kamenovo, next bay to Budva, and again let out 45m of chain in 7.5m depth, just to be sure. It paid off since the 12kn winds whipped up to around 25kns at 0200hrs. Again the captain kept watch upstairs for a while but we were solid on the anchor so he eventually went back to sleep.
Water temperatures back where they should be. I love diving in and feeling the icy water a few feet down, and you can actually see the hazy thermocline layer where the temperature changes.
In the morning I kept a little bit of black clay from the anchor to do a mud mask. Colin asked me what the advantageous qualities of mud were and I said it removes impurities. He seemed to think I would need a lot more of it.
Click images to enlarge
Porto Bar 13.2NM, 2hrs 40min
Tuesday July 31 - Wednesday August 1
Tuesday July 31 - Wednesday August 1
Having endured the activity around us for as long as we could we set sail again around midday and continued south, stopping the boat a couple of times to swim and cool off. We arrived in the port of Bar around 1500hrs, and, like last year, realised how bad our Croatian was with the delightful marina man who helped us moor up. He didn't speak English and chatted away in Montenegrin presumably thinking, from my broken Croatian, that I understood him. We got the gist though, and he wrote down the codes for the toilets and the jetty gate.
The walk into town was a little confronting. It looked almost like the city has been ravaged and nothing has been repaired. We were told that Perast has fourteen churches all in a state of disrepair and there's no money to rebuild them, and I wondered if this is the same throughout the country. The opulence of Porto Montenegro was in such stark contrast to somewhere like this, with massive amounts of money pumped into it to attract rich boat owners. The marina facilities in Bar, part government owned and part private, were very poorly maintained. Even a coat of paint would have made a huge difference.
Our dining experience at the marina restaurant was most interesting. We arrived just as a children's birthday party was winding down. Lots of adults and kids and loud festive music, and, you heard it here first, a goldfish in a wine glass! I thought it might have been a birthday present but no, it's was a table adornment you get if you're dining with kids. The only compensation to this strange and somewhat disturbing practise is that the glass is not full of wine. Whatever happened to paper and crayons? Our food and drinks were less disturbing. The glasses came with an inch of frozen stuff in the bottom (not goldfish thankfully), and Colin's chicken burger was just that, a burger, no bun, and almost the size of the dinner plate!
Wednesday at 0700hrs we motored over to the customs jetty next to the marina, but our best laid plans to exit Bar by 0800 were stymied by a rather large ferry arriving at the same time. We could have ducked in ahead but didn't wish to be squished so we waited until it docked. Although we managed to dock and get off our boat before them we were told by the customs police we had to go to the harbour office first which was in town. By the time we got back there was a line which we waited in, patiently, only to be told they couldn't process us until they had dealt with all the ferry people. We know not why, timing is everything as they say. We lamented that we could have checked out last night and avoided all this, but then just settled in to wait. Meanwhile, two other yachts arrived. Daryl and Joan from Ballina, NSW, on a 49 foot Moody called Jace, registered in Hobart, bought in Nice six months ago, first season of cruising the Mediterranean, also being driven mad trying to get their head around Visa issues which only allow you 90 days in 180 in the EU. They had just sailed up from Corfu. We also met a couple of guys from Cyprus, heading to Corfu tomorrow. Growing impatient, Darryl checked with border control and was told we were to wait one hour, and one hour to the minute we reappeared and were finally processed. We could see no reason they couldn't have done our clearance earlier - it only took a couple of minutes and it's not like they came and checked the boat or anything special. Still, ours is not to question why. We finally set sail at 1015hrs and set a course 25 miles off the coast to avoid any remaining Albanian sea mines. There was some unexpected breeze so we had the jib out for quite a few hours and were doing 7.5kns motor sailing with the engine throttled back. It was hot even out on the open ocean, but not wanting to slow our progress we cooled down with buckets of sea water on the back deck.
Colin took first shift at 2000hrs and we did two hours on, two hours off throughout the night. It's a busy ocean and I was thankful for being on AIS when massive cruise ships loomed into view on the radar, seemingly heading straight for us. These cruise ships were visible to the naked eye long before they appeared on the radar, which was set at a range of 8nm. The auto-steering let go on my watch and we did a few donuts before I regained control. It would have made an interesting pattern on the tracker. Just after daybreak I had the special treat of dolphins riding the bow wave. Welcome to Greece!
Click images to enlarge
The walk into town was a little confronting. It looked almost like the city has been ravaged and nothing has been repaired. We were told that Perast has fourteen churches all in a state of disrepair and there's no money to rebuild them, and I wondered if this is the same throughout the country. The opulence of Porto Montenegro was in such stark contrast to somewhere like this, with massive amounts of money pumped into it to attract rich boat owners. The marina facilities in Bar, part government owned and part private, were very poorly maintained. Even a coat of paint would have made a huge difference.
Our dining experience at the marina restaurant was most interesting. We arrived just as a children's birthday party was winding down. Lots of adults and kids and loud festive music, and, you heard it here first, a goldfish in a wine glass! I thought it might have been a birthday present but no, it's was a table adornment you get if you're dining with kids. The only compensation to this strange and somewhat disturbing practise is that the glass is not full of wine. Whatever happened to paper and crayons? Our food and drinks were less disturbing. The glasses came with an inch of frozen stuff in the bottom (not goldfish thankfully), and Colin's chicken burger was just that, a burger, no bun, and almost the size of the dinner plate!
Wednesday at 0700hrs we motored over to the customs jetty next to the marina, but our best laid plans to exit Bar by 0800 were stymied by a rather large ferry arriving at the same time. We could have ducked in ahead but didn't wish to be squished so we waited until it docked. Although we managed to dock and get off our boat before them we were told by the customs police we had to go to the harbour office first which was in town. By the time we got back there was a line which we waited in, patiently, only to be told they couldn't process us until they had dealt with all the ferry people. We know not why, timing is everything as they say. We lamented that we could have checked out last night and avoided all this, but then just settled in to wait. Meanwhile, two other yachts arrived. Daryl and Joan from Ballina, NSW, on a 49 foot Moody called Jace, registered in Hobart, bought in Nice six months ago, first season of cruising the Mediterranean, also being driven mad trying to get their head around Visa issues which only allow you 90 days in 180 in the EU. They had just sailed up from Corfu. We also met a couple of guys from Cyprus, heading to Corfu tomorrow. Growing impatient, Darryl checked with border control and was told we were to wait one hour, and one hour to the minute we reappeared and were finally processed. We could see no reason they couldn't have done our clearance earlier - it only took a couple of minutes and it's not like they came and checked the boat or anything special. Still, ours is not to question why. We finally set sail at 1015hrs and set a course 25 miles off the coast to avoid any remaining Albanian sea mines. There was some unexpected breeze so we had the jib out for quite a few hours and were doing 7.5kns motor sailing with the engine throttled back. It was hot even out on the open ocean, but not wanting to slow our progress we cooled down with buckets of sea water on the back deck.
Colin took first shift at 2000hrs and we did two hours on, two hours off throughout the night. It's a busy ocean and I was thankful for being on AIS when massive cruise ships loomed into view on the radar, seemingly heading straight for us. These cruise ships were visible to the naked eye long before they appeared on the radar, which was set at a range of 8nm. The auto-steering let go on my watch and we did a few donuts before I regained control. It would have made an interesting pattern on the tracker. Just after daybreak I had the special treat of dolphins riding the bow wave. Welcome to Greece!
Click images to enlarge